Kmart underscores uniform offering for BTS

By Allison Cerra

HOFFMAN ESTATES. Ill. — Kmart said it has adjusted its approach to back to school by increasing the number of stores that sell uniforms and aligning its back-to-school sales periods by region to match that of the local school districts.

The chain, which sells school uniforms online and at more than 450 locations across the United States, said has varied its in-store and online offerings and also increased its marketing efforts to support this trend. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 23% of all public and private schools in the nation now have a uniform policy, with public schools making up the majority at about 19%.

"As the back-to-school landscape changes, Kmart is making the necessary adjustments to provide customers the merchandise they need, when they need it," Kmart interim chief marketing officer Andy Stein said. "By offering school uniforms in more markets such as Chicago and New York and online, and shifting the back-to-school sales periods in applicable markets such as California and Hawaii we can provide greater value to our customers."